f their mess, but, finally, determined courage got the better of
desperation. Inch by inch we drove the pirates aft--the chief of them,
to do him justice, keeping always in the front rank, and I believe he
killed, with his own hand, more of our people than did all his crew
together, though he himself did not receive a scratch. During all this
time the marines kept up a hot fire, pikes and pistols were used through
the ports, and such guns as could be brought to bear were fired from
each of the ships. I have seen plenty of hard fighting, and let me tell
you, my boys, though it is very fine reading about, it is very dreadful
in reality; yet never in my life have I gone through hotter work, on a
small scale, than I did that day--the vessels, too, all the time rolling
and pitching tremendously, and tearing away each other's rigging;
indeed, it is surprising we did not both founder on the spot.

Well, we at last managed to clear the fore part of the schooner, by
cutting down some and driving others of the pirates overboard, but fifty
fellows still held the after part of the deck, uttering fearful oaths
and execrations--they continued fighting on--when the deck lifted;
fearful shrieks arose, a loud, dull sound was heard, and many of the
pirates were hurled into the air, their mangled remains falling among
us. For an instant every hand seemed paralysed, and we looked round to
see what would happen next; but the explosion had been only partial, and
during the confusion the remainder of the band making a rush forward, we
again set to at the bloody work, and drove them back. A second attempt
to fire the magazine was made, and failed. We were, by this time,
secure of victory, though the remnant of the pirates refused to yield.

Their captain, whom I have spoken of, I now saw leap into the main
rigging, when, waving his bloody sword above his head, he hurled it with
the fiercest imprecations among us, severely wounding one of our people,
and then, with a look of despair not to be forgotten, he plunged into
the raging ocean, where a troop of sharks were ready to devour him. At
that moment it struck me that I had seen his features in times long
passed, and I found afterwards I was right.

When their leader was lost, the rest of the pirates submitted, and we
had barely time to remove them, and to cut ourselves clear of the
schooner, when, with the dying and dead on board, she went down; and on
the spot where she had been, the